Snow Tracks In The Cold
by Winslow Fisherman
Summary: Krystal is found by a traveling explorer of unknown planets. He frees her but both are forced to go on the run to find safety for the creatures at where they're at have found them and a short chase ensues. A prequel tie in piece to Howls On An Ice Planet.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Fox. Everything else is fictional. **

Snow Tracks In The Cold

While her friends fought the space pirates, Krystal lay in her ship on the ice planet where no warm day could ever come. Asleep, she dreams while her soul is waiting for rescue…

_Crunch, Crunch_; footsteps move through the snow, but stop at the ship of a sleeping beauty. "Is she?" a worrisome voice asks near the ship. A hand raises a lighter to the plane's glass cover, its light shows she's breathing and no major wounds are visible. "I've got to get her out here quickly before 'they' come."

The wind picks up as a pick breaks the glass. The cold sweeps in to make the female shake, shiver and open her eyes in a loss at what's going on. The sleeping beauty looks up from her bed, seeing a white fur bear wearing layers of warm expedition clothing.

"Are you ok, miss?" the rescuer asks, holding out a hand to help the vixen out of her ship and onto the snowy ground. "Can you tell me what happened, miss?"

"It's not miss, my name is Krystal," the sleeping beauty looks up at her prince and sighs depressingly. "We were fighting some space pirates and I got shot down onto this place," she explains and then smiles appreciatively. "Thanks for saving me."

"Hooouooo," a voice howls as the wind picks up, blowing harder through each animal.

"They've seen us!" the white bear growls and he takes off straight past the ship, but stops to look back at the poor air fighter that's scratching her head confusingly. "Follow me! Now!"

"Hooouooo!" the cry in the wind goes out once more.

"Forget it!" the expedition creature screams and takes off running into the weather that has now become a storm. "You're on your own!"

Krystal takes chase, catching up to the white fur bear. "Wait, I'm coming with you."

"Then stick close and whatever you do, don't look back! You hear me!"

_Crunch, Crunch_; Two predators move through the snow even though they are really prey for something that's howling madly. The expedition creature's fur stands up in fear, but it's more visible on the survivor of a plane crash, both of their minds are racing wildly and freely for calm.

"What's making those howls?" Krystal asks, feeling the tension in her body growing faster than the cold that's starting to numb her body. "I've never heard such strange howls before."

The white fur bear takes off a warm coat from his lays and hands it to the wandering comrade. "Take it, it'll keep you warm. You don't want your body to drop and become still in this place, then those creatures will have you as a snack."

Krystal takes the gift, and puts it on so she can feel warm. "What are we running from?"

"I've explored many planets unknown to others, but this place, this ice planet has creatures that are quite terrifying, yet also fascinating. It's hard to find things that tells me more about them, in fact, the more I dive into searching for clues about what they are, the more they hunt for my life."

"So, you don't know what they are?"

"No, I just call them Howlers because that's all you hear otherwise on this planet. Them crying out, as if they're in pain, but when you actually look into their eyes, nothing except hunger is seen in them."

The two stop moving when they see in front of them strange tracks. They're speechless.

"They've out ran us, but how? Unless…" the white fur bear trails off and readies his pick as if it were a battle axe, but before jumping into his plan of action, he looks to the vixen whose face is bluer than her fur. "Krystal, that coat has a flip knife and a lighter, use them wisely."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to clear a path and I want you to run. Don't look back, don't attempt to save me, just run and head for a place that's not too far from here where you should be safe, or at least for a period of time in case someone comes looking for you."

"I don't understand."

"The Howlers-are here."

As if he can see them, the expedition creature transformers into a fighter. He charges forward past the vixen, swinging his pick and pierces a creature that'd been invisible through its frozen center where a heart lays in the middle. Krystal looks from its formation of rock and ice, into the eyes of a creature that shows only hunger from within. The white fur bear continues to kill one after another. The number of the Howlers increase. The fighter looks to the vixen and growls.

"Get out here now!" the white fur bear roars.

As if she'd got a kick to the back, Krystal takes off running. She looks back to see that the number of the creatures is too much for her friend, he's a meal for these monsters who live on an ice planet that's not empty. The vixen feels something grab her coat, she can't run anymore. Her head turns around to see one of the creatures has her. Reaching into a pocket, she searches for a weapon, pulling out the lighter, and flicks it in hopes its light will spread fear.

"Hooouooo," the creature cries, backing away, tearing off the coat that sets his prey free.

Krystal is on the move again, she keeps running, searching for the safe place her rescuer spoke of. After sometime time, she finds it, a cave and runs inside. Using the lighter, she looks around seeing nothing to help build a fire, but the wind blows in a piece of her old clothing that'd escape the Howlers clutches. Using some rocks, the lighter, and the article, a fire is made.

"F-Fox…P-Please…S-Save m-me," she chatters, doing her best to be warm near small flames that hopefully won't go out in the small time that's shrinking away slowly.


End file.
